The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-12-02

06oorvnt10ns 0gaas In t1ao Unttoa 0eooos
By . E3rttish Wofxoan.
The Golden Club organs in America
are always eloquent on the advantages
to be derived from ''cheaper clothing.
cheaper sugar and cheaper salt" fsr
the wage-e.rners. They never say any
thing about the cheaper labor. y which
is what the millionaires who hire ths
club organs are really after.
Acertain Mr.. H J. Pett;fer, an actual
British workman, who has enjoyed
those blessings Of cheap clothing. cheap
sugar and cheap salt which the Golden
Clab organs so eloqucntly commend To
the American workmen. and who has
suffered from the cheap labor. cOncern-
ing which the Golden Club organs 80
eloquently say nothing. has just been
telling the weavers of England what
he noted while ON visit to the United
States. He said:
The cotton industry Of America was row ore
Of the most dourishing branches they had ara
the strangest part Of the business was thss
they could not buy cotton any cheaper in that
country than they could do In England. Hut
the cotton workers were getting a good deal
higher wages than in England. The aveysgs
wage here was I9s ID per week: In the States
IL was ga Id. In the wooden trade the avegsgo
wage in this country was Cos I'd per week: IN
America sss Sd. But he was told that living
was expensive ~ America. So 1t was in tlss
style they kept, but II an American wora3r 3
man chose 70 live In the style Of an Ep.tsn
working man he could live rs cheaply and savo
money, Just IS II the English working- man
chose to live in the style Of the Belgian, ath.ng
he would not like to see tried IN this county.
Another thing he observed was tina. wheat was
no cheaper in America than in England; how
that arose he could not say. Then clothes
wers dearer in America suit which cost HIM
34s Cd in London would cost AS Cd in New York.
Boots were exactly the same price as here, Eus
that was accounted for by the fact that boot
making was carried on in all the prisons CT the
country. Flour was Is Sd per stone Of ~ D.
and meat was Cd to Is per pound. except In tho
remote States, where 1t could be had as low
Sd per pound, I'd for the best cuts. Sugar was
little dearer than hero: fruit, vegetables, etc.
q great deal cheaper. SILK, satins, vcivets and
gloves were three times the Price they were IN
this country.
So it appears that while the difference
in wages of cotton operatives in Amer
lea is as "a is to 10 over English wages.
and the American wage in WOODEN
factories as 43 to 26 in England. the
difference in the price of clothing is
only as A is to 50. That is worthy Of
the Golden Clubs notice, but it will
not make public note of it.
At subsequent stage of the meet
ing to which MIR. Pettifcr made thes4
remarks, Alderman Crew asked hi,
English constituents of 'what usa
cheap goods are to people who have
no money to buy them with?'' 1t is u
riddle which has frequently been pro-
pounded to the Golden Club organs ON
this side of the water, and always
without gaining response. The ur-
assailable truth is that the prices Of all
necessaries and comforts of life ara
lower here than in any country Of the
world. They may cost few cents
more per yard or per pound. but the
American purchaser has great many
more cents to buy them with than his
European counterpart. Hence tho
house Of the American wage-earner -
better furnished. and more frequently
is owned by him. his table is better
filled. his person is better clad, his
mind is better informed by books and
by the minor education of the theaters
and other forms of amusement than il
common to any other wage-earner In
the world.
silks. satins. velvets and gloves"
says Mr.. Pettifer, are three times a.
dear in America as in Europe. But
these are neither comforts nor necessi-
ties of life; they are luxuries, and it
has been the opinion of both statesmen
and demagogues in all ages and coun-
tries that Injuries are properly tax
able. Chicago Inter Ocean.